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How big is a food portion? A pilot study in Australian families
Author(s) -
Collins Clare E.,
Bucher Tamara,
Taylor Aimee,
Pezdirc Kristine,
Lucas Hannah,
Watson Jane,
Rollo Megan,
Duncanson Kerith,
Hutchesson Melinda J.,
Burrows Tracy
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
health promotion journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.515
H-Index - 32
eISSN - 2201-1617
pISSN - 1036-1073
DOI - 10.1071/he14061
Subject(s) - portion size , serving size , medicine , ice cream , demography , environmental health , food science , biology , sociology
Issues addressed It is not known whether individuals can accurately estimate the portion size of foods usually consumed relative to standard serving sizes in national food selection guides. The aim of the present cross‐sectional pilot study was to quantify what adults and children deem a typical portion for a variety of foods and compare these with the serving sizes specified in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (AGHE). Methods Adults and children were independently asked to serve out their typical portion of 10 common foods (rice, pasta, breakfast cereal, chocolate, confectionary, ice cream, meat, vegetables, soft drink and milk). They were also asked to serve what they perceived a small, medium and large portion of each food to be. Each portion was weighed and recorded by an assessor and compared with the standard AGHE serving sizes. Results Twenty‐one individuals (nine mothers, one father, 11 children) participated in the study. There was a large degree of variability in portion sizes measured out by both parents and children, with means exceeding the standard AGHE serving size for all items, except for soft drink and milk, where mean portion sizes were less than the AGHE serving size. The greatest mean overestimations were for pasta (155%; mean 116 g; range 94–139 g) and chocolate (151%; mean 38 g; range 25–50 g), each of which represented approximately 1.5 standard AGHE servings. Conclusion The findings of the present study indicate that there is variability between parents' and children's estimation of typical portion sizes compared with national recommendations.